Inclement weather stalls removal operations of crashed Korean aircraft

Korean Air flight #KE631 slid off the runway while landing at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport on Sunday, Oct. 23. All 173 passengers were evacuated safely with minor injuries reported. | AFP Photo via Alan Tangcawan

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — With inclement weather brought by Tropical Storm Paeng, the management of Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) admitted that it would be very difficult for them to remove the Korean Air aircraft that overshot the airport’s runway on Sunday, October 23.

Julius Neri Jr., general manager of MCIAA, said that their target schedule for the removal of the aircraft is dependent on the weather condition.

Currently, Cebu is placed under signal no. 1 on Friday due to Tropical Storm Paeng, which resulted in heavy rainfall and flooding in several areas in the province.

LOOK: Korean Air flight #KE631 slid off the runway while landing at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport on Sunday, Oct. 23.
All 173 passengers were evacuated safely with minor injuries reported. | AFP Photo via Alan Tangcawan

“Yesterday was the best in terms of condition ever was. Last night it rained again, and until now it’s raining. So again the condition has worsened,” Neri said.

Aside from this, Neri said that the condition of the aircraft also made its removal difficult since its tires were broken due to the impact of its landing.

“The aircraft, the nose collapsed so there’s no front tires. The rear tires, one side na-flat. On the other side, the rubber tires were even out of the ribs. So it is very difficult to take out,” he added.

Neri said that the MCIAA, Korean Air, and the insurance company have already declared the aircraft as a total loss and that it can never fly again.

Neri also set aside the suggestion of cutting the aircraft piece by piece so that it can be removed from the runway.

“Once you start cutting, there will be sparks and the aircraft still have some fuel onboard. You are risking an explosion which could cause injuries if not death,” he said.

He added that their only option is to remove the airplane as a whole.

He said that they are already filling the area with gravel and matting it with steel plates that will serve as tire mats.

They will also be lifting the aircraft and replacing its rear tires so that they can tow it using heavy equipment and place it in a safe area.

On Thursday evening, October 27, MCIAA announced that the airport has returned to its 24/7 operation.

Neri said that despite using a shortened runway from 3.3 kilometers to 2.7 kilometers, it could still accommodate even larger aircraft after it passed the international standard and was approved by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

Runway lights were already installed on the runway that was shortened, replacing the damaged runway lights.

However, larger aircraft are advised not to operate at full capacity so that they will be lighter and would not experience any problems upon their departure and arrival.

Neri also revealed that they will be asking the airline for compensation for the damages that the airport’s runway incurred during the accident.        /rcg

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